


In Every Reality

by Ninja_Librarian



Series: Keith Family Week 2018 [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Day 5: Canon/Alternate, Gen, Keith Family Week, Keith is loved, Set in last ep of S7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 22:56:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16396673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninja_Librarian/pseuds/Ninja_Librarian
Summary: Day 5:Canon/AlternatePain meds, head injuries, and residual space magic from two years on a space whale's back lead to interesting dreams for Keith as he lays in a Garrison hospital bed.For in each and every one, he sees how different his life could have been.





	In Every Reality

Keith was warm and comfortable, tucked into bed. As wakefulness gradually nudged at him, he found himself fighting, snuggling in deeper, the aches and pains gone, unlike the last time he had woken up.

“Keith, we’re gonna be late.”

Keith groaned at the sound of Lance’s voice, pulling the covers over his head, mumbling, “Five more minutes…”

“Hey, fine, whatever, but don’t complain when I get the last of the pancakes again.”

Hmm. Pancakes did sound good.

Smelled good, too.

He sat up, stretched, yawned, opened his eyes…

He blinked, looking around the room.

This wasn’t his hospital room, or his room at the Garrison.

The walls were a sky blue, and the window was open, the white curtains fluttering slightly in the breeze. He could hear seagulls and hear the waves and smell the ocean.

He’d never been here before, but he knew exactly where he was, courtesy of Lance’s stories.

He was in Cuba. How did he end up in Cuba?

He was on one twin bed, with another unmade bed across the room. Two desks, a bookshelf, a worn rug on the wooden floor, an open closet. Keith’s boots—the white ones that no longer fit—were at the foot of the bed.

There was a knock at the open door, and Rachel stood there. “Hey, Marco said he’d give us a ride to school, but you’ve got to get a move on or we’re leaving your lazy butts here to walk.”

School?

“I’m ready, Keith’s the one taking his sweet time,” Lance said, grabbing a backpack from beside one of the desks.

As Lance walked past his twin sister, Rachel winked at Keith and said, “Don’t worry, Mami saved you some pancakes. Lance’ll never find them. Slyvio on the other hand… Well, you better get a move on. You know that kid has the nose of a bloodhound.”

“Right,” Keith said, throwing off the covers. Rachel left, closing the door in her wake, leaving Keith alone with his thoughts.

Mostly those thoughts were, _What the heck is going on?_

Glimpsing a calendar that displayed pictures of space shuttles, Keith rushed over to it, seeing that the year was four years before. Had he traveled through time?

Keith took the calendar off of the wall, flipping through the months, frowning slightly as he saw events written in the blocks in multiple colors. Nadia’s dance recital in pink, dentist appointments with times written in both red and blue, the last day of school in all caps with a different color for every letter, birthdays and…

Keith paused, seeing his name written in red on a random Tuesday in August.

_Keith’s Gotcha Day_ , it read.

“Gotcha Day?” He whispered, heart pounding.

He was familiar with the phrase, had seen kids—mostly younger kids—in the foster care system leave forever as adoptees. Gotcha Days were usually the days the last of the paperwork was signed, when everything was finalized.

And Keith… Keith had one.

He felt his eyes fill with tears slightly. He had been adopted…

Wait. No. This wasn’t what happened. How had this happened?

He looked out the window at the busy streets of Varadero. He didn’t know what was going on, or really where he was, or what had happened.

But, at the same time, he didn’t really care.

He had a family. He had people who went through a lot of effort to bring him into his family.

He had a mother, waiting downstairs with a plate of pancakes for him. A father, who taught him how to drive and made the best pizza crust ever. He had brothers, he shared a room with one and had another waiting to take him to school and yet another who lived just next door with the beginnings of his own family. He had sisters, memories that he knew weren’t really his creeping in of time spent with Rachel and Veronica, of pranks and surfing and tossing garlic knots at each other, laughing the entire time. He had a nephew, a niece, a sister-in-law, grandparents.

He didn’t know what was going on.

But he liked it.

Keith dressed at record speed, practically crashing down the stairs into the bustling kitchen. Lance’s mother—his mother—smiled at him, cupping his cheek, pressing a kiss to his forehead, placing a plate into his hands. “Eat up, mijo, or you’re going to be late.”

“Surprised we didn’t have to pry you out bed with a crowbar,” Luis joked over his mug of coffee.

“You were even worse at his age, Luis, so don’t you start,” Papi said with a deep belly laugh, standing up so Keith could take his chair, ruffling Slyvio’s hair as he passed by his grandson. He gave his wife a kiss, then said good-bye so he could head to the restaurant to get it running for the day.

“Tio Lance, Tio Keith, Tia Rachel, can we go surfing this afternoon?” Nadia asked, her little feet swinging underneath the table, a glob of syrup on the side of her mouth.

“Sure!” Lance said, using the last bite of his pancake to collect as much leftover syrup as possible.

“After homework,” Mami said, smiling over her shoulder. “And chores.”

“Si, Mami,” Keith found himself chiming with Lance and Rachel.

“Come on, we’re going to be late,” Rachel said, getting to her feet, brushing her hands over her skirt before snatching up her backpack.

“Shotgun!” Lance called as he leapt to his feet.

“You got to ride shotgun yesterday!” Keith said, not sure how he knew that fact, but he did.

“If you want to ride shotgun, you’ve got to be faster, hermano,” Lance said, already halfway out the door, Rachel running to keep up.

Keith grinned, scooping up his plate, bringing it to the sink.

“Te amo,” Mami said, grabbing Keith’s empty plate to drop into the sudsy water. “Have a good day at school.”

“Te amo,” Keith responded, going over to grab his own bag. “See you later!”

He walked out the door into the bright Cuban sunshine…

*****

Keith blinked as he entered the house, the aroma of chocolate chip cookies filling the house.

Wait, wasn’t he just stepping outside?

Wait, wasn’t he in Cuba?

“Mom!” Hunk called. “We’re home!”

“There’s my boys!”

Keith looked over at the entryway to the kitchen. Though he hadn’t formally met Hunk’s mom, he had seen her before, recognizing her immediately. She held her arms out for hugs, wrapping both Keith and Hunk into her embrace.

“How was school?” She asked, still squeezing them.

“Got an A on that chemistry test,” Keith responded, the words tumbling off his tongue before he even realized what he was saying.

“And Shay said yes to going to the dance with me!” Hunk said, grinning.

Mom grinned, hugging them both tighter. “I’m so happy for you two! I knew today was going to be a good day for you, a great day for celebration cookies! Come on, let’s get you two a plate!”

The cookies were warm and still gooey, and sitting in the kitchen, talking about the day and projects and doing homework was wonderful. They talked about the upcoming dance, and flowers for Shay, and of course she was going to say yes, she was so smitten for Hunk.

The cycle of hugs continued as more people returned home, first Hunk’s sister, and then their Dad, who smelled of engine grease and oil and grass and Keith took so much comfort in it.

They made dinner together as a family, working together and laughing together as they made spaghetti and salad. Second and third helpings were had, not a single piece of food to serve as leftovers to be seen, and everyone stayed around the table long after the plates were empty.

Keith couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten so much he felt sleepy, couldn’t remember the last time he felt so calm and at ease, leaning back in the chair, his eyes drifting closed.

“Uh oh,” Lily laughed. “The last time Keith had that look on his face, he fell asleep at the table.”

“Did not,” Keith argued. He knew it was true, though.

“Yeah, you did, face first into your empty ice cream bowl,” Hunk said, also chuckling at the memory. “You got chocolate sauce and sprinkles in your hair.”

“Bedtime,” Mom declared. “But first, help load the dishwasher.”

Keith took his dishes in, loading up the machine, working in a system that he couldn’t remember developing.

When it was done, good-nights were said, and hugs and kisses were given by the parents.

Keith practically melted into the hug he was given by Mom. This was where Hunk learned to be so good at hugs, he knew, from his mom. Hunk always gave the best hugs, but even now they were starting to feel second-rate.

“Go to sleep, baby,” Mom said, brushing back a lock of his hair. “Rest that beautiful brain of yours.”

“”kay,” Keith said sleepily, following Hunk up the stairs. “Night, Mom. Night, Dad Love you.”

The words fell so easily from his tongue. But they were honest words.

He meant it.

“We love you too, Keith,” Dad said.

Keith hit the pillow, a smile on his face.

*****

“Keith! Keith! Keith, come on, wake up!”

Keith groaned slightly, rolling over onto his back, frowning at the shaking of the bed, courtesy of a small blob with long honey brown hair and wearing a pink nightgown jumping near his feet.

“Pidge?” He grumbled. “What?”

Pidge just grinned, her eyes twinkling and said the most magical two words ever known.

“It’s snowing!”

That got Keith out of bed, rushing to his bedroom window, nose pressed to the glass, his breath fogging up the window, feeling like a little kid even though he was nearly a full-grown man.

It was, indeed, snowing, the ground already covered with several inches.

He grinned, looking over his shoulder at Pidge, and now Matt who had entered the room, yawning and cleaning his glasses, but also grinning.

Together, the three siblings said, “Snowball fight!”

They all rushed to get dressed in their warmest clothes, pulling on all the winter gear they owned alongside their Dad.

“Keith, you’re on my team this time!” Pidge declared.

“Private Keith, reporting for duty, ma’am!” Keith said, giving his sister a mock salute.

They shared a wink, both trying to hide smirks.

“Oh no,” Matt groaned as he put his hat on. “You two have something planned, don’t you?”

“No…” Keith and Pidge said together, giving him identical looks of innocence.

Matt, having lived with his brother and sister and their shenanigans for a number of years now, gave them a look that said that he saw right through this farce.

What Matt didn’t know was that Keith and Pidge had been working on their attack plan since the spring thaw.

The backyard was divided, and war was unleashed.

Pidge wheeled out the weapon that she and Keith had spent all summer building, ready for all that work to pay off.

“Is… Is that a catapult? A three bucket catapult?” Dr. Holt asked, blinking a few times, both impressed and a little afraid.

“Yep!” Pidge and Keith said together, loading it up with snowballs.

“Fire at will!” Pidge cried out and Keith unlatched the mechanism.

They high-fived as snowballs rained down on Matt and their father.

Matt just stood there, coated with snow, and then he yelled, “IS THIS BECAUSE I ATE THAT LAST DOUGHNUT?!?!?”

“And the last cinnamon roll!” Pidge yelled.

“And the last ice cream bar!” Keith yelled. “It had my name on it and you know it!”

“I always knew my own children would someday use me as collateral damage,” Dr. Holt said, wiping off his glasses.

“Sorry, Dad!” Keith called.

“No, you’re not,” Dr. Holt said, grinning. “Keith, Katie, I had brothers of my own. I know you’re not.”

Keith and Pidge dissolved into laughter at that.

They tossed snowballs at each other until their shots came up short, and their fingers and toes were starting to feel numb, their gear soaked through. That was when Colleen called them inside for hot chocolate and pancakes beside the fireplace.

Inside where it was warm, wrapped in blankets and with fresh fuzzy socks and sweaters on, a mug of hot chocolate in his hands, Keith smiled to himself as he snuggled into the couch between Pidge and Matt as the annual Holt First Snow Movie-Thon began.

He was sleepy and warm, having the most perfect day…

He was just going to close his eyes for a few moments…

*****

“Keith-Kun! Breakfast! Wake up, sleepyhead!”

Keith sat up straight, grimacing as a paper stuck to his drool-slicked cheek. He winced as he pulled it off, frowning at the pre-calc homework.

“I know you love the kotasu, and I’m proud of your dedication to your studies, but you should try to sleep in your bed more, Keith-Kun.”

Keith looked over his shoulder at his mother’s—Shiro’s mother, a little voice in his head whispered—voice. She was a tiny Japanese woman, almost always smiling, gray streaking her black hair, a pink-checked apron over her clothes, a rice ladle in her hand.

“I just want to get a good grade on this test,” Keith explained.

“You’ve been studying all week, you’ll do fine,” Mrs. Shirogane said. “Now come eat.”

Keith crawled out from beneath the table and the warm, cozy blankets, padding towards the kitchen on socked feet.

It took his breath away to see the kitchen, see a man who looked like an older Shiro sitting at the table.

And then he saw the actual Shiro.

His hair was completely dark, his skin tan and healthy, a grin on his face as he sipped tea with his father.

Keith saw the vaguely skin-tone colored plastic at Shiro’s right side.

_Huh,_ Keith reflected. _Even in my dreams, even in alternate realities, Shiro loses an arm._

A young teenage girl—one he had only met once, at the Kerberos launch—dressed in a dark blue school uniform came to the doorway beside him. “Your hair’s sticking up funny, Keith.” Mitsu commented.

“Don’t tease your brother,” Mr. Shirogane said, lifting his eyes from his newspaper.

“I’m not teasing, just letting him know,” Mitsu said, striding into the kitchen to take her breakfast from her mom. “Shinji’s already gone?”

“Yeah, he had practice this morning,” Shiro confirmed. “You just missed him.”

There was no hectic morning rush. It was slow, and gentle, and it took it’s time. Time to eat, time to chat, time to get ready to embrace the day and come home and do it all over again over dinner.

Keith loved it.

Loved the feeling of his own uniform, loved walking with Shiro and Mitsu towards their respective schools. He even loved hearing one girl in the hallways sigh to her friend and say that all three of the Shirogane boys were almost too handsome to be believable.

He was a Shirogane. It was something he had always wanted, though he perhaps never had the words to put it that way. He loved the security of having Shiro as a brother through thick and thin, loved how nothing could break that bond.

Loved having someone to call family.

He eagerly pushed through the door of his homeroom class, ready to embrace the day and get home to his family.

*****

Keith entered the balcony, Allura at his side, grinning.

Keith looked in awe at the Altea that had once been, with lush green fields and sweet-smelling juniberry blossoms. Catching his reflection in the mirror, Keith was only somewhat surprised to see that he looked like a full-blooded Galra, with purple skin, yellow-eyes, and fuzzy ears.

“Are you sure they’ll say yes?” Keith asked his sister in a whisper.

“Of course!” Allura said. She grinned. “All we have to do is give them the sweet baby mungral eyes, you know.”

She took his hand and pulled him over towards where Alfor, Melenor and Coran stood. Alfor had an arm around Melenor’s waist, his other hand in Coran’s.

“Mother, Father, Coran!” Allura called out, rushing up to her parents and their lover.

Melenor smiled at her children. “What is it, my dears?”

“Can we go bungee jumping?” Keith asked. “Calia’s parents said she could go, and Ranthor’s parents said he could go, and—”

“Hmmm…” Alfor hummed, rubbing his beard, clearly thinking. Both Keith and Allura froze, wondering what their father would say. Keith hoped he wouldn’t say no, but his hopes were on the verge of being dashed when he said, “You know, that sounds like a great family bonding activity!”

“I’ll alert the staff,” Melenor said.

“And I’ll get our medical records!” Coran said.

Keith and Allura grinned at each other.

Alfor winked at his children. “I really didn’t want to spend all afternoon in meetings anyway. What better way to spend a beautiful day with my four favorite people?”

“Be careful, Father, or the Red Lion will get jealous,” Keith said, smiling.

“Ah, the Red Lion is well aware that I can have four favorite people, but only one favorite Lion of Voltron,” Alfor said. He threw his arms around both of their shoulders. “Let’s go prepare. What does one wear for bungee jumping?”

They walked back inside the Castle.

*****

“Keith!”

Keith groaned, burying his head under his pillow.

“Keith, Keith, Keith, Keith, Keith!”

“What?” Keith demanded, sitting upright, his own eyes reflected in the face of a six year old girl, her dark hair purplish in the early morning light.

Keith just stared at her for a moment, then she grinned at him, missing a front tooth but had sharp canines, even for baby teeth. “Mama says breakfast is ready! And that you’re late for chores!”

“I’ll be down in a minute, Kya,” Keith told the little girl.

His little sister.

Wait.

No.

Wait.

Keith got out of bed, looking around.

His heart jolted.

This was the old house. The one that had been adjacent to his shack. The one with the big front porch and the tree with the tire swing. The one that had been struck by lightning and burnt down while he was in foster care. The one he had lived in with his dad.

Dad.

Wait.

If Kya was his sister… Then, did that mean…?

Keith rushed downstairs, gasping in a breath.

Standing in front of the stove, a slumbering baby with purple skin strapped to her back, was Krolia. She smiled at him.

“About time you got up, lazybones.” She said affectionately. “You want some bacon?”

“If he doesn’t, I’ll take it!” Kiri—Keith’s twelve year old sister—said from the kitchen table.

“You’ve already eaten more than your fair share, young lady,” Krolia informed her.

Kiri gnashed her strong, Galra teeth at her mother, her black hair streaked with violet and her eyes a golden brown that looked much more yellow. “I’m a carnivore, mother. You should know.”

“Yeah, and the reason you’re still short is because you won’t eat your vegetables,” Keith told her.

Kiri stuck her tongue out at him.

“Papa!” Kya called out as the back door opened.

Keith whirled around, eyes wide as he took in the sight of his father. Alive and whole and _there_.

“Mornin’,” Jack said, wrapping an arm around Krolia’s waist, giving it a small squeeze, then kissing Kai on top of his sleeping head. He then picked up Kya, setting her on her hip. “How’s my lovely family this mornin’?”

Keith’s feet were moving before he recognized what he was doing.

But the moment he had his arms around his father, his face buried in his Dad’s shoulder, breathing in the scent that was so familiar but yet half-forgotten, his eyes watering, Keith knew he never wanted to let go.

Jack was surprised, but he hugged Keith in return, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, because his son would never be too old to be hugged and kissed. “You okay, Keith?”

“Yeah,” Keith said, a bit shakily. “Just… missed you.”

“I missed you too, son. But I’m also starvin’ and Kiri’s eyein’ that bacon rather mightily…”

Keith laughed, still fighting to hold back tears. “Yeah. Should save her from herself.”

He sat at the table, with the family he could have had, if not for Zarkon and his desire for Voltron.

He could have had his own parents. Both of them. His human one and his Galra one.

He could have had siblings.

He didn’t know what was happening, but he’d try to make this reality last as long as possible.

*****

When Keith opened his eyes next, he was back in the hospital room. Sunlight streaked in, and his head ached, and Hunk sat in a chair, reading something when he suddenly looked up.

“Keith!” He exclaimed, rushing to his feet. “You’re awake! Hang on, let me get the doctor! And your mom! And everyone!”

Krolia beat the Garrison doctor into the room, and he wasn’t too pleased to find his patient being hugged tightly by a Galra woman, who in turn snarled and drew out her Marmorite blade when the doctor tried to shoo her away.

Kolivan merely watched from the doorway, amused. He broke into the biggest smile Keith had ever seen from him when Keith shot him a look, silently asking for intervention.

“Have I missed something?” Keith asked as the doctor left, content with his examination of Keith after Krolia finally relented to let him do so. “I remember crashing, and then waking up and you two were here, and then…”

“You woke up for about an hour, then slept for nearly an Earth week again,” Krolia said, gently brushing Keith’s hair with her fingers. “You hit your head hard when you crashed in the Black Lion. The doctors thought your brain was bleeding and their scans missed it the first time. But nothing they did could explain why you were sleeping so soundly again.”

“Keith!” Pidge called out from the wheelchair she was in, her ankle bound in a cast.

“’Sup, Mullet?” Lance asked, grinning as he pushed in Pidge’s wheelchair.

“It’s good to see you awake, Keith!” Allura said, swooping in to give Keith a hug.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Number Three,” Coran greeted.

“You know that really was not cool, right?” Shiro said, ruffling Keith’s hair. “Don’t scare us like that again.”

“Or we’ll kick your ass,” Lance said, seriously.

Keith snorted at that. “What, all of you?”

“Yes, all of us, don’t doubt us!” Hunk said, nodding once, his arms folded over his chest.

Keith smiled. He didn’t doubt them. Didn’t doubt any of them.

They were his family in any reality. He loved them, and they loved him.

This wasn’t a dream.

It was, perhaps, even better.


End file.
